Defenders of Wildlife Blog

By: Stephanie Carroll Carson, Public News Service – FL

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Listen to this story with Defenders’ Laurie Macdonald on the Public News Service.

The Jurassic Park bill would allow state zoos to lease state lands for research on animals like rhinos.

TAMPA, Fla. – Living next to a state-owned park in Florida might lead its neighbors to expect they would be living next to native species. However, they might see more exotic critters if a bill passed on Friday by the Florida Legislature is signed into law.

HB 1117, known as the Jurassic Park Bill, would allow 16 state zoos and aquariums to lease state-owned land to conduct research on animals including giraffes, zebras and rhinos.

The bill’s supporters say it will help preserve endangered species in places such as Africa. However, Laurie MacDonald, Defenders of Wildlife’s Florida director, questions their reasoning.

“I am just astonished people who care about conservation of species on other continents would want to put non-natives on our public lands.”

MacDonald and other opponents of the bill say allowing the non-native animals will endanger other species and pose some property risks, as well as placing additional demands on the state’s wildlife resource employees at a time when funding is scarce.

Dave Sumpter, who heads the group Wildlands Conservation, is concerned that allowing exotic species to be housed on public lands also will disturb long-term plans to link the natural travel corridors for native species such as bears – or even lure native species into problem behaviors.

The presence of exotic species could threaten efforts to protect habitat for native animals like black bears.

“If you have a block of land that’s got to be contained specifically to hold zebras, it also won’t allow for passing of our native species, like deer.”

The Jurassic Park Bill also allows for exotic, non-native birds. Sumpter notes the inability to contain winged animals means they’re likely to escape the designated habitat. Opponents also question why public lands should be available where private lands could be used instead.

The bill now goes to the governor’s desk. Its text is online at flasenate.gov.

Learn more:

Read more about what the Jurassic Park bill could mean for Florida wildlife in the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald.

Any scuba diver will tell you that the world’s coral reefs today are a far cry from what they once were. Climate change is leaving a permanent mark on these underwater jungles, a problem that only promises to get worse with time. Warmer water temperatures cause coral bleaching, a sudden death that occurs when corals expel the algae that normally live inside them, providing them with food and bright coloration. Warmer oceans also make corals more susceptible to bacterial and fungal infection, such as black band disease and purple blotch disease.

Rising temperatures aren’t the only threat facing reefs today. Overfishing, the explosion of invasive species, and an unsustainable aquarium trade all threaten the survival of these biological marvels, as well as the economies that rely on them. With the odds stacked against them, is there anything we can do to save coral reefs before it’s too late?

Wildlife biologist and Defenders’ board member Jeff Corwin, along with the Georgia Aquarium, is determined to find out.  Watch a sneak preview of his show, “Ocean Mysteries“ below and join Jeff as he explores one of the world’s majestic reefs, and what hope they have for the future.

Learn more: 

Hear more from Defenders’ board member Jeff Corwin as he talks about the world’s coral reefs – and how climate change is slowly killing these magnificent hotspots of biodiversity.

Defenders is working with other conservation and humane advocates to make sure the international trade in coral reef animals is done is a safe, sustainable way. Stay tuned for more on our efforts to protect the world’s reefs and the array of wildlife who call them home.

Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin airs on Saturdays at 11am. Check your local ABC listings for more details.

Restored marsh at Blackwater NWR (area inside stakes used to be open water) Photo courtesy Noah Matson

Two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on the eastern shore of Maryland with a few other Defenders colleagues.  The refuge, at over 27,000 acres, is one of the largest protected areas in the state, and is famous among birders and local residents for its large concentrations of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds, bald eagles, and is also home to the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel.  Since the 1930’s, however, Blackwater has lost over 8,000 acres of marsh from a combination of sea level rise, subsidence, and the impact of invasive nutria that eat marsh grass and contribute to erosion.

It isn’t the only coastal refuge attempting to stave off rising waters. Two hundred miles south from Blackwater lies the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.  Made up of “pocosin,” a type of forested wetland found in the coastal plain of eastern North Carolina, the refuge is home to the only wild population of endangered red wolves in the world.  Most projections of sea level rise put a large portion of the refuge under water in the next 50 years.

As stewards of protected areas and wildlife populations, we have to ask – why does it matter if these places go under water? If they disappear, where will the wildlife that rely on these protected places go?

These situations have been met with drastic measures. At Alligator River, refuge staff, the Nature Conservancy and other partners are implementing measures to slow coastal erosion and salt water intrusion in order to protect forests and marshes. And the Blackwater refuge has restored 20 acres of marsh by experimenting with a dredger to spray mud onto former marsh to raise the marsh bed, followed by planting marsh grasses to stabilize the soil. A decade later that marsh remains. Unfortunately, the refuge continues to lose 300 acres per year. So the refuge staff has an audacious proposal: barge or pipe mud and soil from the dredging of the Baltimore harbor approach channel in the Chesapeake Bay to the refuge to repeat the marsh restoration on thousands of acres, a cost of over a billion dollars.

As stewards of protected areas and wildlife populations, we have to ask – why does it matter if these places go under water? If they disappear, where will the wildlife that rely on these protected places go? These are questions an individual refuge manager cannot answer alone.

With the loss of Alligator River, endangered red wolves may have nowhere to go.

In preparing wildlife and natural resources for the impacts of climate change, we must take a big-picture view. Before zeroing in on a particular place, we need new tools and institutions to help policy makers, managers and scientists work together to understand how wildlife and habitats will respond to the impacts of climate change regionally and across jurisdictional boundaries. The Obama administration has launched a number of initiatives that hold some promise for achieving this goal, creating the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives and crafting a National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy. It isn’t everything we need, but it’s a start.

Keeping Blackwater and Alligator River from sinking into the sea – and protecting all of our refuges from the impacts of climate change – is critical. We need to do so in the context of addressing the much bigger task before us, figuring out how to help prepare entire systems of wildlife and habitat for the impacts of a not-so-slowly changing world.

Learn more:

Learn more about the threats facing Alligator River, and the measures being taken to save it, in the NPR piece, A Struggle to Fight Back the Sea.

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is the first national wildlife refuge in the nation to develop a comprehensive strategy to adapt to sea-level rise. Read more about the efforts the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are taking to rescue the refuge from rising seas.

See how Defenders is working to protect wildlife and protected lands from the threats of climate change.

It’s a case of “Free Willy” gone wrong: the escape or – more likely – intentional release of a home aquarium animal into the tropical waters off of Florida has resulted in a potentially devastating explosion of invasive species populations along the U.S. Atlantic coast. The runaway? Lionfish.

Lionfish have become a dangerous invasive species in U.S. waters along the Atlantic

Scientists suspect this slow-moving and venomous fish, native to the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea, was first unleashed into Atlantic waters in the 1990′s. Although genetic evidence suggests the original invaders were limited to just a few fish, the remarkable reproductive rate of lionfish (a single female can produce up to two million eggs!) and practical lack of predators have led to an abundance of the species from the Caribbean to Bermuda, even as far north as Long Island, NY!

They may be beautiful, but lionfish are bad for business in Atlantic coral reefs. Invading ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs, lionfish are voracious predators, eating several fish per hour. And they aren’t picky eaters. With a wide variety of fish and crustaceans on their menu, lionfish have the potential to decimate native fish populations. Not to mention they’ve got a mean sting. While not fatal to humans, the venomous fin rays and spines of the lionfish can cause serious injury, including edema, intense pain and necrosis at the site of sting and at least one case of paralysis. (Suffice to say, you wouldn’t want to step on one).

What can we do?

Scientists and wildlife experts are still trying to figure out how to eliminate the lionfish from its unnatural habitat. Ideas include targeting young lionfish or increasing potential predator populations (like tiger and Nassau groupers) to provide natural control. Some people propose eating our way out of the problem, hosting targeted fishing derbies, offering prizes for the most lionfish caught. However, therein lies danger: increased traffic in and around the reefs where lionfish are found increases the risk of damage to the reef and other species.

One sure-fire way to prevent other invasive outbreaks like this is to be a responsible aquarium or pet owner. ALWAYS ask your vendor for assurances that creatures were collected and imported using sustainable and humane practices, and NEVER release animals into the wild. You never know where they may end up!

Learn more:

See other ways the wildlife trade threatens the health of coral reefs.

The invasion is coming! Learn more about invasive species and what they mean for native wildlife.

Wildlife crossings provide valuable jobs in addition to making roads safe for people and animals.

For most people, the phrase “green jobs” conjures images of windmills and solar panels. But those aren’t the only jobs that bolster our economy and protect our environment at the same time. In fact, green jobs can range from removing unwanted forest roads or repairing fish culverts, to treating invasive species and restoring wetlands. And some “green” occupations may surprise you.

Get this: if wildlife watching were a Fortune 500 company, it would rank in the top 25.

What?! You better believe it – according to a National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, 87.5 million Americans fished, hunted or watched wildlife in 2006. Even more impressive, those people poured more than $122 BILLION into those activities, funding millions of jobs in industries and businesses that support wildlife-related recreation.

Building wildlife crossings, building economies

Tomorrow, Defenders’ Trisha White joins a panel discussion at the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference to talk about how transportation projects can protect wildlife and natural places while also contributing to local economies. For example, the construction of a wildlife underpass saves much more than the moose (or elk, or deer) that uses it to cross a busy road. It saves people – 200 of which are killed in wildlife-vehicle collisions each year – and money – an average of $28,100 per moose. And it creates jobs right here in America, that can never be sent overseas.

If wildlife watching were a Fortune 500 company,
it would rank in the top 25.

Working to maintain and restore healthy ecosystems is good for our wildlife, natural places, communities and economies. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get to work!

Learn more:

Get more information about the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference.

See how Defenders is working to increase the number of wildlife crossings to ensure both wildlife and people can use our roads safely.

It’s almost Halloween, so you might be expecting zombies to invade at any moment. But the real threat is from exotic wildlife that could be headed your way! These foreign creatures often carry disease and disrupt native plant and animal communities, and we need your help to stop them.

The invasion of exotic wildlife poses a serious threat to local ecosystems that are ill-equipped to fend off foreign species that can kill native wildlife and carry disease. Now the problem is growing more acute with the pervasiveness of the deadly chytrid fungus that is decimating amphibian species across the world.

This red-eyed tree frog could be the next victim of the deadly chytrid disease plaguing amphibian species across the Americas. International trade of certain species is already being regulated under CITES to slow the spread of disease.

From Panama to California, this mysterious disease is eliminating salamanders and frogs in many of their most important habitats. Like other invasive species and exotic diseases, the fungus is often spread by the transport of plants and animals from far-away places. Poor screening has allowed these invaders to cross our borders with ease. It’s time to beef up security by implementing better screening practices and restricting the importation of exotic species that are known carriers of disease. The health of our native plants and animals depends on it!

Watch the short video above to learn more about the threat of foreign invaders like pet pythons, Gambian rats, Asian carp, and European starlings, then read below what you can do to stop the spread of exotic diseases like the chytrid fungus.

Take action to stop the spread of exotic disease

Right now the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is seeking input on a petition to stop the spread of this amphibian disease, and they need to hear from you! The petition puts forth a rule requiring all live amphibian species and their eggs to be screened for disease. Only those certified as chytrid-free would be allowed to enter the country or cross state lines.

Help protect America’s native wildlife from these foreign invaders by urging USFWS to screen amphibians imported into the United States. You can submit your comments by visiting http://www/regulations.gov and entering Docket No. FWS-R9-FHC-2009-0093. This information period will close on December 16, 2010.